


True Strength

by randomjed



Category: Hajime no Ippo | Fighting Spirit
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Boxing & Fisticuffs, Boys Being Boys, Christmas, Coming In Pants, Developing Relationship, Facials, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Idiots in Love, M/M, Muscles, Premature Ejaculation, Rivalry, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:15:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24400108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomjed/pseuds/randomjed
Summary: Sendo Takeshi has always had a bit of an obsession with Makunouchi Ippo. Their latest fight makes him reconsider whether or not that obsession is purely based on wanting to fight the strongest fighters. Makunouchi is the answer to Sendo's simple question: what does it mean to be strong? Just not in the way he originally thought.
Relationships: Makunouchi Ippo/Sendou Takeshi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! In the middle of working on my finals I got inspired to try writing a fanfic. This is idea has been stuck my head after I thought about how things could change if certain canon events went differently. It's a self indulgent fantasy, but I thought I should at least give it a try and here is the finished project. It's my first fan fiction, and I do not have a proper beta. Nonetheless, I like it and I'm happy I got at least this done. Enjoy!

“The bell has rung for the seventh round and the champion and the challenger rush from their corners. The fighting has been intense so far. Can they go on much longer?!”

The commentators screams are a buzzed out noise to the two boxers in the ring. The champion Sendo Takeshi and the challenger Makunouchi Ippo have fought for six grueling rounds. The cheers of the crowd are deafening, but Sendo and Makunouchi can only focus on each other. Both of them are circling each other, anxious to finally find the answer to their shared question. What does it mean to be strong?

“I couldn’t say anything. His expression told me that this will be the final round,” Coach Kamogawa remarks to his fellow cornerman Yagi in Makunouchi’s corner. “I believe that he will come back victorious.”

A shocked roar comes from that crowd as Sendo takes a defensive stance.

“The ever aggressive champion has decided to adopt a defensive stance! He has always fought offensively as if that is the best defense. What does this change in fighting style mean?”

Sendo tentatively approaches Makunouchi with his arms up in a cross block.

I must be patient, Sendo thinks. “I know I can’t fight for much longer. I have to wait for the chance to strike. When Makunouchi uses his signature attack.

Makunouchi pushes forward and begins to bob his head. The crowd screams in anticipation as he increases speed. He is about to unleash the Dempsey Roll. Before Makunouchi can throw any punches, Sendo rushes in and stops his flow with his shoulder. Makunouchi is thrown back and Sendo rushes in to finish him with his Smash. It grazes Makunouchi’s chin as Makunouchi throws a punch that hits Sendo’s ribs. Sendo is immobilized by the body blow, and Makunouchi rushes forward with a right hook to Sendo’s head that knocks him back. The challenger moves to follow up his advantage. He is looking to end this fight here and now.

“A devastating right hook! Could this be the end? Will a new champion be crowned tonight?”

Makunouchi you certainly are something special, but don’t assume I’m done yet. Don’t get so cocky just from anticipating my left. I still have my right!

The champion fixes his stance and send his right flying towards the challenger’s face. Makunouchi was already crouching down to prepare his next attack and now is seems to have to have put him right in the path of Sendo’s fearsome punch. A resounding thud rings out through the arena as Sendo’s punch lands point blank on Makunouchi’s face. The challenger looks absolutely helpless as he is thrown back by the power of the champion’s punch. Unfortunately for Makunouchi, Sendo shows no sign of slowing down. The champion throws several hooks in a row to the challenger’s body before going back upstairs. He throws punch after punch at the challenger’s head until Makunouchi’s back touches the ropes. They ricochet him forward as begins to fall to the mat. In a frenzy, Sendo continues to punch until the referee comes up from behind and stops him. His adrenaline filled mind begins to clear as he realizes that Makunouchi is down.

“What a shock! Makunouchi seemed on his way to becoming the champion, but current holder of the belt is not to be underestimated. While backed into a corner Sendo made a violent come back that has left Makunouchi face first on the canvas. Will he be able to get up?”

“Kid!” Coach Kamogawa yells with desperation. “You almost had him! Get up kid! You still have a chance to win this!!!”

Sendo heads to a neutral corner after being stopped by the referee. The fatigue of the fight starts to set in as Sendo puts his arms on the ropes near the corner. Once he is there, the referee starts the count. Cheers for Makunouchi to get up and for him to stay down come from the crow in equal measure.  
1

2

3

The only movement from Makunouchi as the counts goes on is the occasional tremor.

Did I do it? Have I finally put him down for good? Fuck, my ribs hurt like hell! Makunouchi is certainly the strongest man I have ever fought. Surely, I will know what it means to be strong after this fight. As long as you stay down!

8

9

10!

Makunouchi was unable to make any effort to beat the ten count. The referee waves off the fight as the crowd erupts into an unbelievably loud uproar.

“The champion has defend his title! In a match that went back and forth round after round, Sendo has managed to beat Makunouchi. He has successfully defended his title for the third time. We are certainly seeing the rise of as strong champion.”

Sendo’s coach and his second Yanaoka rush into the ring. Yanaoka practically tackles Sendo as he gives him a hug. Sendo winches as his second’s arms touch his sore ribs, but he is distracted from his pain by what he sees before him. He looks past his second’s shoulder where he sees Makunouchi get carried out of the ring in a stretcher. Before he can think about it though, Yanaoka speaks.

“You did it, Sendo! You beat Makunouchi!” Yanaoka exclaimed. He knew how absolutely important winning this fight was for Sendo. Sendo believed that he would find out what it meant to be strong by beating Makunouchi.

Sendo is pushed towards the center of the ring where he is handed the featherweight belt. An announcer hands Sendo a microphone after Yanaoka wraps the belt around Sendo’s waist.

“The Naniwa Tiger cannot be slayed!” Sendo yells to his adoring fans in the crowd. He raises his right fist, the fist that granted him victory and the volume in the arena goes up a notch.

I did it! I beat Makunouchi. I knocked out the only man that has ever defeated me. I won and have proven myself to be the strongest man in Japan! I have achieved my ultimate goal.

Despite his success, a creeping thought was rattling around in the back of his head.

So why…why does it feel like I am not any closer to knowing what it means to be strong?

…

Sendo is in the hospital after being taken there shortly after winning the match. The doctor confirmed what he already knew from the immense pain he felt from Makunuchi’s body blows. Two of his right ribs are cracked. The doctors have patched Sendo up and given him some medicine to manage the pain. They want him to stay the night, and he can be discharged tomorrow. Cracked ribs can take up to six weeks to heal, so Sendo will have to take it easy and regular ice them once he is home. The medical staff leave the room after treating him. Just Sendo, Yanaoka, and his Coach remain in the room.

“I am so proud of you,” Yanaoka said beaming after the hospital staff left. “I just wish you could be more careful in the ring. Cracked ribs are no joke, but what can you expect when Makunouchi was your opponent.”

“You showed everyone that you are a force to be reckoned with and a true champion. All three of your title defenses have ended in impressive knockouts. You certainly deserve a break,” Coach remarked. “When six weeks have passed though, I want you in the gym first thing. We do not know when you will be in the ring again. I want you prepared to represent Naniwa Boxing Club well and show that we are the best boxing club in all of Japan!”

Sendo was only partially listening as his coach and his second sung his praises. He should be focused on recovering and getting back into the gym as quickly as possible in order to take on the next challenger for his title. His mind though was still hung up on the fight with Makunouchi. Why didn’t he feel satisfied with this win?! It was everything he wanted. He was the featherweight champion of Japan and had soundly beaten his rival who beat him in their first match. It just didn’t make any sense. He should know what it means to be strong now, but he is just as confused as he was before.

I should know the answer by now! What else do I have to do? I have already proven that I am stronger than other featherweight in Japan. So why isn’t it clear to me? Fuck, Makunouchi you were supposed to help me find the answer!

Agitated by the lack of an answer to his question, Sendo began to think about the man he thought was the key to getting what he wanted. An unknown feeling that Sendo seemed to only experience in regards to Makunouchi began to course through him.

Makunouchi should have given me my answer. He is the only man to have beaten me in a fight. The strength of his punch could only be matched by mine. The light of determination that filled his eye during out fights made it clear that he was a man like me. A man unsure of his place in the world but found it in boxing. He had to same desire to become strong. How could he have not been the answer to my questin?! I refuse to believe that this is how it ends. Makunouchi has to be the key to finding out what it means to be strong. It seem ridiculous, but our destiny must not end with this fight. It just can’t! I’ll contact him as soon as I get home.  
…

Makunouchi wakes up in a room that he does not recognize. After adjusting to the bright lights of the room, he takes notice of the fact that Kamogawa and Yagi are sitting in chairs by his bed.

“It’s nice to see that you’ve woken up kid,” Kamogawa said with a slight smile. “You had me worried for a minute. I’ve never seen you hit the mat like that.”

It’s coming back to him. The simultaneously punch exchange and then rushing to punch Sendo again. Sendo’s right fist flying towards his face. Afterwards it gets hazy, but it’s clear the match did not go in his favor.

“So I’m not the champion of Japan am I?” Makunouchi said.

“Unfortunately not. But you proved that you’re a powerhouse in your own right. You have no reason to be ashamed.” Yagi insisted.

“Yagi is right Kid,” Kamogawa agreed. “Nobody would look at what you did in ring tonight and think you failed. You lost, but you put Sendo through hell. You even got close to beating him several times. The doctor said you pretty banged up but it looks like nothing serious. You’ll stay the night and be out of here tomorrow. Rest up and relax for a while when you get home. When you’re back to feeling 100% we can start training again.”

“Of course, Coach. Thank you both for your kind words. I’m sorry I couldn’t do better. I’m sorry I couldn’t beat Sendo.” Makunouchi lamented as tears began to fall form his eyes.

“Oi! You ain’t got nothing to be throwing yourself a pity party over!”

Makunouchi looked up through teary eyes towards the doors. It was a fellow boxer from his gym Takamura Mamoru. Right behind were Makunouchi’s other colleagues Kimura Tatsuya and Aoki Masaru.

“So you lost. Big whoop! You’ll come back from this stronger than ever. You did it after Date Eiji and you can do it again. Not everyone can be an unbeatable champion like me, so don’t let this get you down Ippo. I don’t want to see anymore blubbering. Understood?!” Takamura explained.

“That Sendo is just a lucky bastard Ippo. You’ll get him next time.” Kimura said.

“Yeah, we’ll even help you develop a new move to K.O. him in your rematch. Something as strong as my Frog Punch.” Aoki chimed in.

Makunouchi put on the best smile that he possibly could and solemnly nodded. He appreciated his Coach and friends trying to cheer him up after his loss. But he is disappointed in himself for losing another shot at the title. He would have loved be able to the Japanese featherweight champion. Unfortunately, fate did not shine upon him tonight. Apparently, he wasn’t meant to find out what it meant to be strong tonight.

Damn! I was so close. If I only I had read ahead and anticipated his right. Now I might never see Sendo again.

That last thought surprised Makunouchi. He is devastated by the fact that he did not win and subsequently find the answer to his question. But the fact that now Sendo has no reason to talk to him again saddens him. It feels like a needle poking into his side.

Why do I feel like this? Sendo was an opponent and nothing more.

Makunouchi is pulled out of his thoughts by his friends trying grab his attention. He refocuses his attention on them. Hoping to distracting himself from the pain and the confusing thoughts.  
…

Sendo was allowed to leave the hospital the next morning and get on a flight to Osaka. The trip home passed by with little fanfare and soon enough he was in front of his house. Before he could enter the door his grandmother opened it.

“Welcome home, Sendo” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine Granny. I have a few cracked ribs, so I’ll have to chill for a while.”

“That’s what you get for being so reckless! You know I don’t like you fighting.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Just let me get an ice pack and lie down.”

“You go get in your bed, I’ll bring you ice pack you punk.”

“Thanks”

Sendo heads upstairs and find comforts under the covers. Soon his thoughts stray to Makunouchi.

I know that Makunouchi and I aren’t done yet. I gotta contact him A.S.A.P.

As Sendo tried to get up though, his ribs ached and he quickly lied back down. The comfort of his bed was too nice to leave. He vowed he would contact Makunouchi for sure tomorrow. For now, he would give in to the temptation of resting in his bed.  
…

The next morning Sendo called Makunouchi’s home number. Well he didn’t initially call him first thing. Sendo stood by the phone for a couple of minutes to get the nerve to call him. For some reason he felt apprehensive about actually calling Makunouchi. Why the fuck would he be?! He had already fought the guy twice. Eventually, he got the guts to punched Makunouchi’s number into the phone. After a couple of rings, the call was answered with an undistinguishable, soft hello.

“Good morning, I am Sendo Takeshi. I was wondering if Makunouchi Ippo is home?

“Sendo!” Makunouchi exclaimed.

He was shocked and confused. Surprisingly, he was excited as well. Apparently, Sendo did have a reason to talk to him again.

Why would Sendo call me? Did he just want to gloat about winning? How does he have my number? Oh that right I gave him number after he visited my gym before our first fight. God that seems live forever ago.

That feeling Sendo only felt around Makunouchi started to come back after hearing his voice. “Ah so it’s you Makunouchi. I couldn’t tell who it was based on the greeting. How are you?”

“Fine. And you?

“I’m doing okay. Sore but okay.”

An uncomfortable pause followed the initial pleasantries.

“So Makunouchi look, I feel that there is unfinished business between you and me. I would like to meet up again when you can.”

“Why? Do you want a rematch already? We haven’t even healed from out last fight yet!”

“No, No, No, No. I just…” Sendo’s grip around the phone tightened a bit. “I just know that our last fight didn’t settle things between us. Were you satisfied with out last fight?”

“Of course not.” Makunouchi said harshly.

“Right, dumb question. But, you should know that I don’t feel satisfied with our match either.”

That was certainly news to Makunouchi. Sendo won the fight. He is the Japanese featherweight champion. He should finally know what it means to be strong. What would he have to be unsatisfied with?

“Look, I know it’s a lot to ask of you. You probably don’t want to hear from me right now, but we both aren’t happy with how it went down. Whatever we need to work out between us can’t be done on the phone. Hell, it couldn’t be done in two fights.”

After a few moments of silence, Makunouchi finally responded.

“Yeah, I guess we could meet up sometime.”

“Great, where do you want to meet?”

“How about I come over to you? I have only been to Osaka for our first match. I never actually got see the city or where you train. You have already seen my neck of the woods.”

“Sounds like a plan, Makunouchi. Check your schedule and let me know when is a good time for you. I’ll pay for your travel and you can stay in my home as well.” Sendo paused for a moment. “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

After another moment Makunouchi admitted “As am I.”  
…

Makunouchi still couldn’t believe he was doing this. He is on a plane that is just taking off. In a little over an hour he will be in Osaka. It was just a little over two weeks ago that Sendo and him agreed to meet up in the champion’s hometown. He will arrive around noon on Friday, and they will have all of weekend to work out their mutual dissatisfaction. A part of Makunouchi thought it was ridiculous that Sendo could feel that unhappy with his win. It just didn’t make sense, but Makunouchi couldn’t complain. It was the reason he’ll get to see Sendo again.

I am anxious about what could possibly happen this weekend. I am confused at why we are doing this at all. But more than anything, I am excited. I am excited to see Sendo again. Regardless of whether we were talking, fighting, or glaring each other down. His presence was something I’ve missed. I just hope that I’m not making a mistake by following my desire to see him again.

Sendo was in a similar emotional state as Makunouchi as he waited for him to arrive at the airport. The cold winter air outside couldn’t make him chill out. He felt a familiar excitement that he felt the right before both of his matches with Makunouchi. He felt that familiar unknown feeling as well. God, what the fuck was that? However, new emotions were mixed in as well this time. He was nervous about what the outcome of this trip could be. Two fights couldn’t give them the answer that they wanted. What sort of outcome should they expect from this? Nonetheless, this needed to happen. Sendo had to find out what it means to be strong, and he couldn’t ignore that nagging voice somewhere deep inside of him is telling him that Makunouchi is a part of finding the answer.  
…

Sendo’s nerves and excitement hit their peak as he waits for Makunouchi to appear. The monitors say that Makunouchi’s flight has landed, so it is only matter of time until he descended down the escalator to the pickup area. Soon enough, Sendo sees Makunouchi do just that.

He’s finally here! I will find out what exactly makes you so special. You will show me why I just can’t get you outside of head. Makunouchi!

Sendo quickly realized that he must be smiling like a maniac. This is the ring. He should be a little less Rocky of Naniwa and more nonchalant hometown boy. He tries to compose himself as he walks over to greet Makunouchi.

“Welcome to Osaka,” Sendo greeted trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Did you have luggage we need to get in baggage claim?”

“N-no, don’t worry about it. Its’s just the weekend, so I just packed the bare essentials,” Makunouchi explained while he tapped his duffel bag. “I am ready to go whenever.”

“Then let’s head out. We’ll grab a cab outside and head to my place.”

The cab ride was a silent affair. The atmosphere was riddled with unknown tension. When Makunouchi first meet Sendo, he was a loud and aggressive man but ultimately friendly and kind. He just had a rough exterior. The man in the car with him right now is not like the man he interacted with before. Something is holding them back from getting back into to their regular flow.

I wonder what’s wrong? I mean after all he wanted to see me. He doesn’t share all the blame though. I could try to start a conversation, but I just…can’t. For our sakes, I hope the rest of my stay with him won’t be as awkward.”

After what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived at Sendo’s house. Makunouchi stood in front of the home as Sendo paid the driver. The door opened to reveal an elderly lady.

“Sendo’s Grandma! How are you ma’am?” Makunouchi asked.

“I’m doing well Makunouchi. I see that you’re still a polite boy. If only you could pass on some of those manners to my grandson. God knows that I haven’t been able to teach him.”

“Oi, you best watch your mouth Granny! I got plenty of manners.”

“You see what I mean Makunouchi? Why don’t you come inside? It freezing out. If Sendo wants to prove he has manners, I’m sure he’ll help you settle in and then you can join me at the table. I have prepared a lovely lunch for us to enjoy. I’m sure you’re hungry after coming all the way from Tokyo.”

Sendo lead Makunouchi to his bedroom, so he can set his duffel bag down. Shortly afterwards they head back downstairs to join Sendo’s grandmother at the table. Laid out before them is a simple but delicious looking fish dish. They express their gratitude for the meal and begin to dig into the meal while conversing. Makunouchi was glad to see that some of the tension from the cab ride was beginning to fade away. With his grandmother there, Sendo seemed to open up a little and he was able to engage in conversation with him. The conversation was lighthearted. It was so refreshing to see Sendo in such a domestic light. His grandmother and him are both a little rough around the edges but kind. Makunouchi’s spirits began to lighten up a bit at the prospect of staying for the weekend. Even if some tension still remained between Sendo and him, Sendo’s grandmother could provide relief to the situation. Soon enough they had eaten all of the food and Sendo was by the sink washing the dishes.

“So Makunouchi have you had a chance to explore Osaka?” Sendo’s grandmother asked.

“Unfortunately no. Obviously, I haven’t had any time today, but the last time I was here I focusing on my first fight with Sendo. There wasn’t much time for sightseeing.” Makunouchi replies sheepishly.

“Well then that settles it. My grandson will get you accustomed to our grand city. First and foremost you have to see the legendary Osaka Castle. ”

“I don’t want to be any trouble…”

“Nonsense, there is still enough time to walk in the park around the castle. Plus, it would be Sendo’s pleasure to show you around wouldn’t it?” she said while shifting her eyes to Sendo.

“She’s right Makunouchi,” Sendo agreed. “I would be a terrible host if I didn’t show you the wonders of my city.”

“If you insist. I must admit the Osaka Castle does seem like an exciting place to visit.”

“Then, get your coat and we’ll get going immediately.” Sendo instructed. “Prepare to be amazed Makunouchi. My city outshines Tokyo any day.”

With a hearty laugh Makunouchi said “I can’t wait to be amazed.”

…

Lunch helped cut through the awkwardness that had plagued Makunouchi’s and Sendo’s interactions since the former challenger arrived in Osaka. They took the trainline to get to the Osaka Castle in comfortable silence. After exiting the train and arriving at their destination, they began to walk around the beautiful park surrounding the castle.

“This is utterly amazing,’ Makunouchi fawned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place as beautiful as here. Especially with all the snow covering the everything in sight. I can’t believe I didn’t bother to come here before.”

“What did I say Makunouchi? Osaka is a work of art. My city makes Tokyo look like a dingy old gym.”

“I can see your point Sendo. Your city does seem to be amazing, but I must defend my city. Tokyo is a wonder because it is large futuristic metropolis with all sorts people from all over Japan and even the world. It’s a city adored by all who visit. I remember you were pretty impressed yourself” Makunouchi playfully replied.

“You can make any defense you want and I have a one word response that can shut down all of it. Overrated!” Sendo countered in a mirthful voice.

The rigid manner that Sendo embodied before seemed to fade away as they continued to walk around the park. It was nice to be able to just be two friends walking around and enjoying each other’s company. It felt good to just smile and laugh. Not have to be caught up in the heat of competition for once. A welcome respite from their usual dynamic. The time seemed to fly by and soon enough it was well past time for dinner. A fact made plain by Sendo’s stomach giving a loud growl in the middle of their lively conversation.

“Looks like Rocky has worked up an appetite while bragging about his city,” Makunouchi chuckled.

“Can you blame me? Passion takes a lot of energy of out guy,” Sendo says with cheeks tinged even redder from more than the cold winter air. “I know a great food stand in the park where we grab a quick bite to eat. They serve the best grilled squid in the whole city. A nice little place where we can satisfy out hunger and warm up a little.”

A hop and skip latter they were in front of the food stand enjoying the warm air and waiting for their grilled squid. After being served their food, they began to dug in immediately. Makunouchi’s face lit up after taking his first bite. After being shocked by the deliciousness of the dish, he took another bit and chose to savor it with a dopey grin on his face. Unknown to him, Sendo had started to ignore his squid in favor of staring at Makunouchi. The look he was giving Makunouchi was unreadable at first, but it became increasingly fond as time went on. Sendo felt a familiar warmness in his chest as he continued to watch Makunouchi. He may have not known what that feeling meant, but he had felt it many times before. He always ended up feeling it around Makunouchi. Rather than dwell on this feeling and what it meant for too long, Sendo decided to go back to eating his squid. He may have not known what that feeling was, but he knew he had to show Makunouchi something once they got home. Hopefully, everything would make sense after that. In meantime, he would just enjoy the moment.  
…

After their meal, Sendo and Makunouchi took the train home. Once they arrived home, they quickly let themselves in to get out of the cold winter air. Apparently, they had stayed out longer than they intended because they found a note from Sendo’s grandmother saying that she had decided had gone to bed. Not quite ready to go to bed yet, they settle down on the couch in the living room and decided to watch some TV. For a while, they watched a late night talk show in silence and tried to warm up from being out for hours. Sendo broke the silence before it became too uncomfortable though.

“Wait here a minute” Sendo said tersely before walking upstairs.

Makunouchi continued halfheartedly watching the program, but his focus had shifted from the content of the show to wondering what Sendo could possibly have to show him. In the midst of all the fun they had at Osaka Castle, Makunouchi had almost forgot the reason he came here in the first place. Sendo seemed determine to see him as soon as possible. This must certainly have something to do with that. Before a sense of anxiety could properly envelope Makunouchi, Sendo came downstairs with a VHS tape in his hand. He put the tape in the player and sat back down on the couch with Makunouchi. Makunouchi was surprised at the contents of the tape. It was a tape of his fight with Mashiba Ryo. Makunouchi turned towards Sendo with a perplexed look upon his face and found Sendo intensely staring at the screen.

“This was my introduction to you Makunouchi. Your fight with Mashiba captured my fascination. I had never seen a fighter with the determination and the strength that you exuded in your fight with him. A strange feeling gean to come over me. I just knew that I had to see you and fight you. I thought this feeling was just related to my desire to be strong. It was just me excited that I finally found an opponent with whom I could test my strength.”

Sendo paused with Makunouchi raptly paying attention. Sendo’s hands tightened before he continued.

“I was so pumped that I flew over to your gym and tried to ensure that we would fight. When it was confirmed, that strong feeling made itself known during the lead up to the fight. From the announcement to walking up to the ring. Even after losing to you, the feeling still remained with me. I felt it was confirmation that you were part of finding my answer to what it means to be strong. So I trained hard and became the featherweight champion of Japan. The title is of little importance to me, but it publicly marked me as the strongest man in Japan. A title that would get me another fight with you. I thought that feeling would be extinguished soon enough when I beat you.”

The tape itself has been long forgotten by now. The waterfall of feelings that one man was giving another on the couch seemed to be only thing in universe at this moment.

“However, after out rematch that feeling did not disappear. Beating you was supposed to give me my answer. However, I was not any closer to finding out what it means to be strong. I knew I had to see you again. For some reason I could not shake the idea that you were connected to finding my answer. To helping me get rid of that nagging feeling. That nagging feeling that reared its head again during the time we spent together at Osaka Castle.”

Sendo turned his face towards Makunouchi with a vulnerable expression that Makunouchi had never seen before. This was an entirely new side of Sendo for Makunouchi.

“I had no idea what that feeling was, but I knew I had to show you the tape and explain why I wanted you to come here. I want to try resolving this feeling and find my answer, so just trust me. I have an intuition of what it could be now. I just ask that you don’t hate me.”

Makunouchi was about to form a response and say that he could never hate Sendo, but his lips were touched by Sendo’s before he could say anything. After a couple of seconds, Sendo pulled away and looked at Makunouchi’s face. It was covered in the purest surprise he had ever seen. After a pregnant silence filled the air, Sendo was sure he had made a mistake. Makunouchi proved his assumption wrong though when he grabbed Sendo’s head and gave him another passionate kiss. After an initial moment of shock, Sendo began to return the kiss with gusto. With every passing second the kisses became more intense. Soon enough, Sendo was surprised when Makunouchi took the initiative to push his tongue into Sendo’s mouth. The action colored with eagerness and inexperience of someone having their first kiss, but Sendo’s experience with kissing was just as nonexistent as Makunouchi’s. At the end of the day, Sendo was happy that Makunouchi was so enthusiastic about this because he felt so ecstatic that he could shoot off into space.

Recovering from the shock of Makunouchi’s tongue in his mouth, Sendo accidently put his hand down onto Makunouchi’s crotch. Sendo’s initial instinct was to remove his hand and apologize profusely, but the gasp Makunouchi gave after this occurred though made him pause. Makunouchi was obviously excited and clearly packing.

“Damn Makunouchi,” Sendo said between pants. “I didn’t know you were hiding a secret weapon in your pants.”

After blushing redder than a strawberry, Makunouchi rapidly moved his hand over Sendo’s crotch as well.

“Feels like you should speak for yourself Sendo.”

A predatory grin made itself apparent on Sendo’s face, and he began to rub Makunouchi’s erection through his jeans. A deliciously saccharine moan flowed from Makunouchi’s mouth that encouraged Sendo’s efforts to stimulate him. Makunouchi tried his very best to return the favor by rubbing his hand on Sendo’s bulge. Makunouchi’s movement was clunky and awkward but proved to eb effective nonetheless. The sound that escaped Sendo’s mouth gave Makunouchi’s moan a run for its money. Sendo rushed to reattach his lips to Makunouchi’s leading to a new depth of pleasure. After a minute or two of them rubbing each other through their pants while kissing, Makunouchi let out a meek whimper as his body stilled.

“Did you just…?” Sendo asked

All Makunouchi could do was sheepishly nod in response. The fact that Makunouchi had just cum in his pants excited Sendo tremendously and brought him to his peak as well. In their euphoric aftermath, they lied there on the couch panting and trying to get their bearings together.

“I am so glad you invited me here.” Makunouchi admitted.

Looking at Makunouchi’s gigantic smile and flushed cheeks, Sendo could not help but agree. He had finally identified that unknown feeling he had about Makunouchi. He just had a massive crush on him. The sense of contentment Sendo felt told him more than that he had just cum in his pants. He finally felt like he was on the right path to finding out what it means to be truly strong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sendo and Makunouchi continue to explore their newfound relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for posting this later than expected. It proved harder to write than I though it would. Again, I have no beta so there might be some mistakes, but I hope you all enjoy it.

My eyes began to open, but they were meet with an unbearable brightness coming through the window. Hoping to give myself a break from the blinding light I turned my head to find a still sleeping Makunouchi next me. My initially surprise at seeing him in front of me was quickly replaced by the memories of yesterday. Makunouchi had come visit me in an effort to finally settle what was between us. Turns out what was between us was something I had never expected to be a possibility. I had kissed Makunouchi. Fucking hell, I had kissed Makunouchi! And he kissed me back! I could feel my face heat up as I remembered we did a bit more than just kiss. I guess we must of taken ourselves upstairs after all of that, but it’s a bit hazy. It was a bit hard to focus after the exhilaration I experienced beforehand. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I jumped in surprise when Makunouchi’s eyes opened up. Unfortunately, my jump scare did not go unnoticed.

“I understand that I have just woken up, but I don’t think that my looks warrant a reaction like that,” Makunouchi said with an annoyed tone. His face then showed signs of surprise and distress. “I’m sorry, Sendo. That so rude. It’s the morning you know so I may not be…”

“You’re fine Makunouchi. It was actually quite funny,” Sendo comforted. “To be fair, I was surprised, but that’s really my fault. I was staring at your face and got too caught up in remembering last night. I guess I shouldn’t have been so caught up in my thoughts.”

Makunouchi’s cheeks began to get the deepest shade of red. I could feel the beginnings of a smile form on my face. His blushing face is adorable, but it was so much better when that flush was paired with him painting heavily and a blissed out expression.

“So you don’t regret what happened last night?” Makunouchi asked with a hint concern in his voice..

“Are you kidding me? I kissed you!” Sendo replied.

“You can never be too sure. We are in unexplored territory right now. Well at least I have not really done this before.”

“I don’t have much experience either. I don’t know what exactly to do, but we can work it out together. If we can beat the shit out of each other then we can sure as hell figure out how to navigate whatever this is.”

Makunouchi gave a hearty laugh as he said “I guess you’re right. I just like to worry about stuff. At least we have the weekend to continue exploring this new discovery.”

Just like that Makunouchi brought another smile to my face. We had a whole weekend to make the most of each other’s company and I wasn’t going to waste second of it.

…

Soon enough Sendo and Makunouchi managed to get up out of bed and enjoy breakfast with Sendo’s grandmother. While she is a marvelous woman, they both couldn’t focus on what she was saying because they were thinking too much about leaving the house and spending some one on one time together. Eventually, breakfast ended and they washed the dishes before heading out for the day. Sendo originally wanted to take Makunouchi to the aquarium. Osaka Castle Park was a lovely place to visit, but a nice indoor activity might be more enjoyable in winter. However, fate was not on their side today. A heavy snowfall began that morning and they could barely get a block away from the house before having to turn back. In hindsight, Sendo’s grandmother may have said something about the weather. After a longer than necessary tread home, Sendo and Makunouchi ended up in Sendo’s room trying to recover from the cold. In their quest to warm up they found themselves partaking in a much more enjoyable activity than going to the aquarium. What began as cuddling on the bed to warm up soon turned into passionate kissing.

“I’ve missed this feeling.” Makunouchi said breathlessly after taking his mouth off of his former rival’s lips.

“Missed this? We just did this last night,” Sendo chuckled.

“Isn’t that just a testament to how great of a kisser you are?” Makunuchi said before putting his lips back on Sendo.

This is sweeter than seeing some damn fish in a bowl. I might have to thank the snow later.

I wanted provide a witty reply, but kissing Makunouchi was so damn good. He was so forceful, heavy, and clumsy in his technique. All of which just reveal how inexperienced he was. Nonetheless, he went all in and I couldn’t help but match his energy and give all of that inexperienced enthusiasm back. We probably looked more like we trying to eat each other’s faces than make out, but it was perfect in every way. Soon enough, I ended up on my back as I felt the weight and heat of his body on mine. Too soon for my liking I felt Makunouchi lift lips off mine as I leaned up desperate to resume what we were doing. It was ultimately a futile effort and I ended opening my eyes to look at Makunouchi sitting on top of me breathing heavily, face all sorts of flushed, and eyes full of desire that I have only seen in ring from him.

“I want…I want to try something new,” Makunouchi stated.

“This is all new, bud.”

“Um…well…you know what I mean,” Makunouchi cheeks have gotten even redder as the conversation continues.

“You could stand to be a bit more direct,” I’m sure it was obvious how much I was enjoying his embarrassment, because I could feel the shit eating grin on my face.

“It might be better if I just show you,” a pregnant pause passed before Makunouchi followed up with “Why don’t you follow my lead.”

My eyes must have doubled in size as I saw Makunouchi take off his shirt. His sculpted body with thick, intimidating muscles was just a marvelous sight. It was almost comical that such a sweet face could have such a hard body. However, it was incredible hot to see him in all his shirtless glory. Of course, I have seen his body in heat of combat or at weigh ins before our fights, but laying in my bed with him on top of me completely changes the atmosphere. It was just so much more…erotic. I’m sure he could feel just how excited I was from where he’s sitting. I have been rock hard from pretty much the second he put his lips on mine.

After finally moving my eyes from Makunouchi’s body to his face I saw an expectant look in his eyes. Right, follow his lead! With clumsy haste I move to take my shirt off as well. Suddenly, I feel a little nervous despite the fact that he has seen me shirtless many times. It just that this time was different from the rest. Any nerves I had left disappeared immediately after seeing the look on his face as he looked at my shirtless body. Makunouchi’s looked awestruck. Of course he’s awestruck this is the body of a champion! I feel another grin come to my face as his hands move across my body starting with my pecs. As he caresses the muscles beneath his hands, I flex in response which brought a shaky breath from Makunouchi’s mouth. I made a similar noise as moved to tweak my nipples. Playing with them for a while as they became rock hard. He then moved his hands from my nipples, much to my disappointment, and deciding explore the rest my torso next. Makunouchi’s hands migrated down my body and he began touching my abs, but whatever excite I had left me when he moved his hands towards my sides. A hiss of pain escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

“Are you okay?!” Makunouchi yelled with concern. “Did I hurt you? I’m a terrible person! I can’t believe I just did that. I’m so sorry. Sendo will you forgive me? I’m just such a klutz…”

“Calm down, calm down. It just that my ribs are still a bit sore from our fight. You did quite a number on them.”

“Still I feel so bad..”

“It’s all good Makunouchi. I’m fine and I was immensely enjoying what you were doing before. I’m positive you can feel how excited I was,” Makunouchi gave me a sheepish smile and I beamed at him in return.

“Well then maybe it’s time that I get to what I was trying to lead up to,” Makunouchi said. “I thought it was better to build up to it, but I guess I should be more direct”

The perplexed expression of my face did not last for too long, because Makunouchi began to move himself off of me and position himself so that he was laying between my legs. Soon enough his hands began to move to the button of my jeans. My button and zipper quickly came undone, but Makunouchi hesitated after that action. Despite the fact that I was trying to be patient, I’m sure my face did not look especially patient in that moment. My cock is twitching in my boxers and desperate to feel Makunouchi’s hand. Eventually, his hand moved to feel the bugle in my boxers and everything seemed right in world. Things only seemed to get better as he moved my boxers and jeans down my legs until my cock flopped out in front of his face.

My ego inflated a little as I saw the way he looked at my cock, but any smugness was wiped off my face when he finally wrapped his hand around my manhood. A gasp escaped my lips and my face adopted a blissed out expression. His hand began to move up and down my cock, moving my foreskin from the head, and lubricating my shaft with my pre-cum. His clumsy strokes were bringing me to closer and closer to finishing, so I began to thrust off the mattress in order to meet his strokes. I lifted my head to look at Makunouchi stoking my cock and me thrusting into his fists. It was such a beautiful sight. Makunouchi’s hand enveloping me and his shining eyes focused on what was in front of him. I speed up my thrusts as I continued to look on. Faster, faster, and faster until, until… oh fuck! Stars flashed before my eyes and I felt on top of the world. I was out of breath and my chest heaved as I tried to calm down. Eventually, I got the wherewithal to lift myself up and support my torso with my shoulders. Upon looking down all I saw was Makunouchi staring at his hand now covered in my cum. I hated to interrupt him being deep in thought, but I had to return the favor.

“Lie down on the bed Makunouchi.”

After a brief look of shock, Makunouchi began to move and lie his back down on my bed. I got between his legs and we looked like a complete reversal of before. I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and pulled down his boxers to find the biggest dick I have ever seen in my entire life. Granted I have not seen a ton besides what I have seen in the locker room, but holy shit Makunouchi had an elephant’s trunk in his pants. I’m no slouch in the dick department being seven inches in length and pretty thick, but Makunouchi’s got me beat in length and girth. I guess we know who is Japan’s champion below the belt. I know that he must be getting as impatient as I was a couple of minutes ago, so I got over my gawking and got down to business. I put my hand on his cock and felt it pulsing as Makunouchi let out pleased sigh. I pulled his foreskin off the cockhead as his mouth morphed into a dumb, adorable grin. I then proceed to move my hand up and down his shaft and get more intense in my strokes as time went on. Stroking Makunouchi’s gigantic dick for two minutes was all it took for him to begin convulsing. Before I could prepare myself he came and his seed covered my not only my hand but shot into my face as well. A smug grin shown on my cum covered face. I felt proud of being able to make him cum so quickly. Damn I’m good!

“Sorry….I didn’t last…too long,” Makunouchi said between breaths taking me away from my thoughts of self-praise. “That was just…wow!”

“Wow indeed!”

I felt so happy that we got to share this moment. That I got to bring that dopey smile to Makunouchi’s face. I’m looking forward to rest of this weekend even more if I get to continue to see him smile like that.

“Let’s go get in the shower. I’d love to cuddle you right now, but your dick sprayed me like a hose. I need a minute to wash up from that.”

…

Unfortunately, the weekend passed by too quickly and Sendo had to drop off Makunouchi at the airport. They shared a hug as Makunouchi was about to leave to board his flight and waved as he disappeared to find his gate. Their hearts shared a similar ache as they had to part, but their whirlwind weekend had to come to an end. Makunouchi swore he would call Sendo when he got back home. Maybe they couldn’t be together right now, but at least they could get to hear each other’s voices in their time apart.

When Sendo got home from the airport he sat by the phone and anxiously waited for his phone to ring. It would be a while before Makunouchi even landed in Tokyo, but he couldn’t help himself. Sendo’s grandmother passed by a couple minutes later and gave her grandson a knowing smirk.

“Miss your friend that much huh?” she said with smugness dripping from her voice.

“Get out of here you old hag!” Sendo yelled with cheeks redder than tomatoes.

“Love you too!” she replied.  
…

The weeks went on and soon enough Christmas arrived. I was moping around my home. I was alone on this couple’s holiday. Even though we have not labeled tour relationship, it would be nice to be able to spend this day with Sendo. I wanted to call him, but we haven’t made plans to call each other, and I would hate to interrupt whatever plans he might have.

“I hope he at least gets the present I sent him in time.”

Pouting, I began to walk up the stairs to my room. I’m taken out of my self-pitying thoughts when my foot bumps into something. I see a package in front of my room. Must have been left there by my mother. I move to pick it up, and my eyes widen in shock as I read the name and address of the sender.

“It’s Sendo! Sendo sent me package!” I began to open the package with lighting speed. “What could it be, what could it be?”

My excitement finally lead to the package being opened and revealing a box. The box had a note on top.

Dear Makunouchi,

You’ve been special since the day I’ve meet you and thought you deserved a treat for being so special. Maybe also compensation for dealing me. I know I can be a little difficult. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

P.S. Give me a call after opening this.

Miss you,  
Sendo Takeshi

I opened the box and found a Rikuro Ojisan Cheesecake. What a treat! A grin as wide as Russia spread across my face while looking upon the gift. It looks so good! Sendo thinks I’m special! Special like a cake! He thinks I’m special and sweet and…oh right he said to call him!

I stopped my own happy musings about receiving a gift from Sendo and moved to the phone to call the gift giver. After dialing the number, I expected to wait for a while before someone picked up, but my call was answered on the first ring.

“Makunouchi!” Sendo yelled.

I recoiled from the phone after Sendo’s verbal attack, but I quickly recuperated and put the phone back to my ear.

“Merry Christmas. You seem to be pretty excited,” I said.

“It’s Christmas, why wouldn’t I be excited?”

“I guess that true, but you also answered your phone pretty quickly. You wouldn’t happen to have been waiting for my would you?”

“Maybe I was. Would that be so wrong? To look forward to talking with you?”

A calm smile came to my face. “No, no It wouldn’t be so wrong. I’m always happy to talk to you,” A comfortable pause followed after before I spoke once again. “Thank you for the gift by the way. I sent you one was well. Have you gotten it? I was hoping it would reach you in time.”

“You sent something?!” Sendo realized that he had been so focused on receiving Makunouchi’s call that he didn’t focus on much else. “Give me a minute.”

Several moments passed as I waited for Sendo to return to phone. Before I could get too nervous about what was holding Sendo up, he returned to the phone.

“I’ve got it. My grandma was holding on to it and was planning to give it me when she saw me next. I have been… preoccupied today”

I was about to respond but heard frantic noise on the line followed by a gasp.

“I love it Makunouchi!”

“You do?! I worried it might of been to ugly to be a good gift.”

“It’s perfect. In fact, I’ll put it on now.” I heard more noise on the line from Sendo putting on the gift I got him. A ugly Christmas sweater with boxing gloves. “It’s a gift fit for a champ. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Sendo” My Christmas just got a whole lot better. I stayed on the phone with Sendo for hours just talking about nonsense. Maybe I couldn’t be with Sendo right now, but hearing his voice was pretty good as well. The cake he sent was pretty damn good too. I’m not preparing for a fight right now, so it’s really no big deal that it disappeared that night with all of my sad and lonely thoughts. All because of Sendo.

…

The new year came and went. I had finally recovered enough from the injuries that I received from my fight with Makunouchi. It was time to start training for the next challenge to my title in April. I was at gym learning about him at this moment. Sanada Kazuki. A former champion who vacated his junior featherweight title to move up to featherweight. Apparently he was rather impressed with my fight with Makunouchi and was hungry to challenge his limits. I could respect that in a man. Hell it’s what I strive to do. Hopefully, he’ll prove to be a real worthy challenger. However, the fight won’t end the way he wants. Sanada should’ve stayed a junior featherweight if he liked the feel of championship belt around his waist. I finally found a reason be strong outside of myself. I certainly wasn’t going to lose now. At least Sanada will have a career to fall back on when I cut his boxing career short. The man is a doctor, and that’s what makes him dangerous. He is smart, and knows how to analyze his opponents and break them down. Brute strength won’t be enough, but I’ll be working hard to overcome his analysis based fighting style. Sanada won’t know what hit him.

…

After weeks of hard training, a reward was coming my way today. Makunouchi was coming back to Osaka to visit me. On Valentine’s Day of all days too! I’ve been working out all day and am now on a run before he arrives at my home in the afternoon. I won’t be able to pick him up, because I need to do everything I can to prepare for my next fight. He understands that though and because of the my hard work this morning, I’ll be able to spend the rest of the day with him. The calls we share have been great, but there is nothing like seeing that baby faced hunk in person. He should be arriving shortly after my run is finished. The prospect of seeing him gives me the strength I need to power through the last bit of my run. As I creep up to my house I see a familiar face walking out of a cab.

“Makunouchi!!!” The fellow boxer turns of the direction of my yell, but he is lifted up in arms before he can form a reply.

“Sendo!!! I’m so glad to see you.” A few moments pass as they enjoy their embrace, but apparently I was gripping him too tightly. “I know that I might of cracked your ribs, but you don’t need to return the favor,” Makunouchi wheezed.

“Sorry about that,” I said while rubbing the back of head. “I’m just really glad you’re here.”

“As am I,” Makunouchi said. I finally got to see that ten thousand kilowatt smile of his again. That feeling that I couldn’t identify before made itself known again. Though this time it does not cause me the agony it caused me before because I can name it.

“Let’s get inside. You can get settled in and I’ll go shower. I’m sure I smell about as good as a dog right now, so I’ll meet up with you in my room afterwards.”

After walking into the house Makunouchi greets my grandmother before walking upstairs and to my room to get settled in while I head to the bathroom to shower. Not wanting to keep him waiting, I quickly rinse off and change into new clean clothes. When I enter the bedroom I see him sitting on the bed with a heart shaped box on his lap. Makunouchi turn his head to me gives me a sheepish smile as his cheeks adopt a red hue. He stands and shoves the box towards me.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Sendo!” I take the box and open it to find a lovely assortment of chocolates. Not really the type of thing I should be eating while preparing for a fight, but it’s Valentine’s day and I couldn’t possibly reject this.

“Thank you Makunouchi. To be honest, I didn’t think we would exchange gifts so soon.” I gave him a beaming smile of my own before talking again. “Give me a minute and I’ll bring yours up from the kitchen.”

I ran down the stairs and returned as fast as I could in order to give my gift to Makunouchi. I was getting a little nervous as I started to walk back up the stairs. My gift was little more than the standard Valentine’s chocolates. I just hoped he reacted well to it. I swallowed down my nerves as I opened the door. You can do this! You’re the champion!

“That box shape looks familiar Sendo. Would it happen to be another cake? Don’t you know chocolate is the typical sweet that people exchange on Valentine’s Day” The little bastard had such a smug look on his face. Nonetheless, his teasing made me smirk.

“First off, the cake is chocolate, so I would argue it fits the bill as a Valentine’s Day gift. Second off, I didn’t hear any complaints about the last cake I got you,” Makunouchi laughed at my sassy remarks. “Anyways, Makunouchi,” I took a deep breath and handed him the cake. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” He took the cake with a smile and opened the box, but then froze when he saw what was inside. I’m trying to take the silence as a good sign, but it seemed to be go on forever. After an eternity Makunouchi finally looked at me with his doe eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this Makunouchi. We haven’t really been clear about what we are, but you are an extremely important part of my life. You have been since we first met,” A scoff escapes my lips. “I for so long thought it was just my admiration for you as a fighter. I thought you were a challenge for me in the ring, but you have proven to be so much more. You are my strength Makunouchi. I mean…I guess I’m trying to say I love you. So…what do you say?”

Makunouchi moves his now misty eyes to the cake to look at the words written on top of it again. Will you be my boyfriend? I see a new determination in his eyes as he lifts his head.

“Yes, Sendo” Makunouchi says in a shaky voice. “I… just yes.” He moves to put the cake down on the bed then surprises me by pulling me towards him and kissing me. The sense of euphoria I feel is unreal. He said yes! FUCK YEAH!! I kiss him more intensely as I give myself over to the moment. After minutes kissing each other, I move back and push him down on the bed.

“What…” Makunouchi begins to say before I move my hand down to grab his bulge. Only a desperate little moan makes it out of his mouth after that.

“Makunouchi you’ve made so damn happy. So damn happy that I have another gift planned for you,”

I was trying my best to seem confident right now, but I really have no experience doing what I am about to do. At the very least Makunouchi probably doesn’t have any experience doing something like this either. I move to take off his jeans and boxers to reveal that gigantic cock. Its size certainly doesn’t make me anymore confident in what I about to do. Instead, of thinking too much I just rush in. Just like being in the ring. Don’t think too much just do it! I grab Makunouchi’s manhood and push his foreskin back. The moan he lets out builds my confidence and I decided to dive into the deep end. I move my mouth towards his dick and lick it from the bottom to the top. Makunouchi let out more than just a moan after that. He moves his body so he is sitting up. The surprise on his face would be comical if it we were doing anything else, but right now it made more nervous. No, its fine. You’re doing good. He was moaning. It’s fine. Just take it slow, if he has a problem he will say so.

“Sendo…don’t stop. Please,” Makunouchi says with pleading eyes.

I look up to his face and see just how bad he wants me to continue. I focus on the task at hand and put my mouth around his cockhead. The sweet moans he lets out only encourage me to continue. I try taking in more of him into my mouth. Slowly, I descend inch by inch trying to take all of him, but about half way down I begin to choke. Fuck! I guess this is all I can do right now. However, Makunouchi doesn’t seem that disappointed going off that dumb pleased look on his face. Don’t be too hard yourself. You’ll get it next time. Work with what you got.

I push myself take him back in my mouth and go as far as I can. After reaching that point I blank at what I am supposed to do. What the hell do you do when a dick is in your mouth?! Suck! That’s right. I tentatively start to suck his dick and Makunouchi lets me know that I am doing alright with his vocalizations. I stopped choking now and was able started to overcome my nerves. I focus on the taste of him. I never really thought of what dick would taste like before but bitter seems to make sense. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but I’ll have plenty of time to get used to it with Makunouchi now that we are officially boyfriends. After sucking his dick for a while, I try something new. Well, something newer than sucking dick. I starts to use my tongue to stimulate him. Apparently, that was the right move because Makunouchi begins to breath heavily and within in seconds I feel his seed squirt into my mouth. Its bitterness far exceeds the bitter taste of his cock, so I pull back but apparently he wasn’t done as he sprays my face with cum too. My inexperience aside, I think what my face is covered in proves that this second Valentine’s Day gift went well.

“Sorry I…didn’t… warn you…about,,, you know,” Makunouchi says between breathes.

“It’s all good. I’m just glad I could make you feel good. We have all the time in the world to get to it right too. Plus, it seems like we are developing a tradition of you finishing on my face.” I send him a blinding smile and he returns it with gusto.

“How about I return the favor?”

“No, you know I shouldn’t be doing this stuff when I’m preparing for a fight. I want to be in top condition. This was just my gift to you.”

“You still have two months until the fight. Plus, I’ve got a fight coming up too. I was told about it before I left. It will be announced pretty soon. I’m having a rematch with Kobashi Kenta in June.”

“Shit, I wish you would’ve of told me. I would held off if I knew.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. Plus, both of our fights are months away and we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

I guess he does have a point. It’s a while till our fights and we haven’t seen each other since early December. Maybe we could afford to indulge a little. So, you can’t really blame me if I didn’t stop Makunouchi when he took off my jeans and boxers a little bit later.

…

The months pass by and soon enough it’s the day before the fight. I am at the weigh in and I finally get a good look at my opponent. On first glance, Sanada doesn’t look that intimidating. He is dressed in casual formal attire and has some big glasses on his face. But the light in his eyes without doubt belongs to a fighter. The fact that he is a warrior is only support by the muscles he reveals when he takes off his clothes. He steps onto the scale and meets the weight limit. He calmly poses for the cameras before stepping off. I take off my clothes and step on the scale next. I am well within the weight range for featherweight and flex as it is announced that I have made weight. Behind the camera flashes, I see Sanada’s critical eyes upon me. Soon enough, I got to see those calculating eyes face to face as we faced off for the media. The anticipation of a fight began to set in as we looked deep into each other’s eyes and had our fists raised in mock combat. Before my blood could really boil, we were separated. It’s fine. I’ll get to test myself in the ring against him soon enough.  
Afterwards, over the phone Makunouchi told me he went to the public spar he had a while ago. He told me that Sanada used a technique called the Hien in which he uses left jabs and changes them unpredictably into hooks and uppercuts. Sanada used his analytical mind and knowledge of the human body to keep track of the limits of his own body and his opponents. His analytical nature combined with the Hien let him knock out his sparring partner in no time. He won’t be easy, but I have been working on my own surprises as well. There are two things I am certain of: It will be one hell of a fight and I will emerge victorious.

…

I was nervous for Sendo as I watched Sanada and him enter the ring. The cheering of the crowd was deafening in Koraken Hall as the announcer introduced the challenger and the champion. This would be Sendo’s fourth defense of the Japanese featherweight title. I had the utmost confidence in Sendo’s skills as a boxer. I can attest to the frightening strength he holds in his hands. However, Sendo hasn’t faced such an analytical opponent before. I couldn’t help but be worried for my boyfriend. Sendo is a natural fighter, but would it be enough? Soon enough, Sendo and Sanada were in the center of the ring. After listening to the rules from the referee, they tapped gloves and head to their respective corners. The tension continued to build as the crowded waited for the bell to ring and begin the first round. Far too soon for my liking, the bell reverberated throughout the stadium and the two boxers began to circle each other.

“The horses are off ladies and gentlemen. Round one begins of this exciting matchup. Who will come out on top: the Naniwa Tiger or the Super Doctor?”

The commentators were lively, but the same could not be said of the fighters in the ring. I expected Sanada to start slow and take his time to analyze Sendo, but this is unexpected behavior from Sendo. I guess its just a testament to the power of his opponent. I certainly wouldn’t want to rush headfirst into Sanada after watching his spar the other day. Sendo and Sanada throw nothing more than som testing jabs for the first minute as they assess each other. Sendo does not rush his opponent like one would expect, but he does get more forceful as the first round goes on. The champion jabs to force the challenger back. When the Sanada’s back is against the ropes or in a corner, Sendo charges in to punish him. To my frustration though Sanada proves be pretty illusive and manages to get out these binds with relative ease while managing to get some good jabs in as he escapes. This exhausting back and forth goes on for the rest of the round. The bell rings just Sanada has managed to escape once from a pinch once again. Not the most exciting round, and the crowd makes its displeasure known with their grumbles. That was immensely frustrating and I know that Sendo probably isn’t too happy with outcome of that first round either. Beyond the odd jab, neither fighter gained ground damage wise.

As the fighers stand up to begin the next round I get a good look at Sanada’s face. The look in his eyes has changed. He seems more determined this time around. My fears increased with this new development. Sanada complete demolished his sparring partner after the first round. Could Sendo avoid being crushed? Sendo’s frustration with the first round must have been immense,, since he came rushing towards Sanada at the start of the next round. The challenger remained level headed and adjust his stance. It’s the Hien! The champ tries to attack but the ferociousness of Sanada’s technique makes itself known. His first jab lands and Sendo covers to continue charging, but then a hook almost immediately follows the previous jab which makes Sendo second guess himself. Prepaing to deal with the Hien and actually facing it during a fight a two different things. Sanada’s attack continues with a constant mix of jabs, hook, and even uppercuts. With such a fast and unpredictable technique Sendo is unable to push forward. He is forced to guard as he looks for an opening, but an opening never made itself known.

“The champion seem completely overwhelmed by the challenger’s punches. Is there any way for him to get out of this?”

Despite his valiant attempts to push through Sendo just couldn’t find an opening. He eventually started to move back until he hit the ropes. He remains there trying to brave the storm of Sanada’s Hien. The bell rings before the situation gets too bad though. I breathe a sigh of relief as Sendo managed to survive that round, but this is not looking good. Sendo just can’t seem to get past the challenger’s fists. Come on, Sendo! I know you can make it through this. I don’t know if I could stand to see you end up like that man Sanada spared against.  
I cheered loudly for Sendo as the third round begins. Despite my hopes, this round proved to be almost a repeat of the previous one. Sendo rushes head on into Sanada only to be repelled by a hard to predict mix of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. However, Sanada seems to have gotten crueler with his technique. It seems that he has managed to find the weaknesses in Sendo’s guard since more of his punches get through. About two minutes into the round, Sanada is beating Sendo into the ropes. The champ has managed to tighten his guard enough that he is avoiding major damage, but to my horror and the crowds joy Sanada manages to break through the champ’s guard with a devastating uppercut. Everything seems to move in slow motion as Sendo falls to his knees. The crowd roars as tears start to come to my eyes. Get up!

“Sanada has knocked down the champion! Could this be the end for the tiger from Osaka?”

Once the count hits five, Sendo starts to get to his feet and is standing by the count of eight. After the referee okays him for combat, Sanada comes rushing in and has him on the ropes once again. Hold on, baby! There’s only about 30 seconds left in the fight! I see Sanada continuing to pummel Sendo and my heart hurts. Eventually, he looks to be throwing an uppercut, but then I see him turn his fist to side before throwing it. Another devasting uppercut make it through Sendo’s guard. Goddamn it! The bell rings to my relief saving Sendo and my piece of mind.

Both fighter retreat to their corners. I look towards Sendo’s hoping that Yanaoka caught the change in Sanada’s uppercut. If Sendo has any chance of beating him he needs to know what happened. I’m about to get up out of my seat and march over there to tell him, but much too soon the bell rings for the fourth round. I try to bit down my worry as the round starts, but within the first 30 seconds Sanada has Sendo on the ropes again. When he moves to throws an uppercut I think this could be it. It’s a direct hit, but it was blocked! Sendo moved his arms into a cross block. He then moves in with a hook Sanada’s side. Sendo continues with an all-out attack on Sanada. The challenger tries to block and dodge, but he is not nearly as good at defense as the champion. More and more hits land that push him back to the center of the ring. Sanada attempts to counter with a rush forward, but it looks like the champ was waiting for that. He dodges Sanda’s counter and moves his stance downwards and to throw his Smash. I can hear the smack it makes as it hits Sanada’s chin. He crumples down onto the mat like a sack of bones. Sendo rushes over to corner and glares at his opponent on the floor. The challenger makes a valiant effort to get up, but half way through the count his body spasms and falls back onto the canvas. Soon enough, the count is to ten and the crowd goes wild. I’m standing up and screaming with them. He did it!

“The champion wins! The champion wins by KO! It looked dicey there for most of the match, but Sendo has managed to win the match and defend his title!”

Sendo lifts his hands in victory as Sanada is taken care of by his team. Sendo looks marvelous up there with a smile as bright as the sun, his thick muscles covered in sweat, and exuding a glow of victory. His eyes catch mine as he parades around the ring with his belt, and I give him soft smile as he beams at me in return. He gives me wink before he is forced to redirect his attention to the announcer that is trying to talk with him. There he is in all his glory. My rival. My champion. My boyfriend. Maybe, just maybe, he is the love of my life too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to leave kudos and comments. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please feel free to let me know what you think. I have intentions of continuing this in the future, but nothing is set in stone. I imagined it would be about how their relationship develops during what is now Sendo's extended title reign. Once again, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.


End file.
